The present invention relates to mobile communications and, more particularly, to emergency related mobile communications.
Emergency procedures, exit locations, and other potential lifesaving information oftentimes are provided in commercial buildings, but are usually accessible as diagrams or depictions, posted in limited places, or as videos posted in limited places at limited times. As an example, in certain municipalities, public transportation vehicles, such buses, taxis and airplanes, are required to present to passengers emergency exit procedures using schematic images or videos. Such schematic images and videos oftentimes lack detailed explanation and are general in nature. In addition, they usually do not present a step-by-step algorithm customized based on the specific location, situation or emergency. Moreover, passengers do not necessarily have procedures readily available if needed. For example, a hotel may post an emergency exit schematic diagram in hotel rooms, but once customers leave their hotel rooms, they may not find any other emergency exit diagrams while attempting to leave the hotel during an emergency.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,098,787 discloses “[a] mobile device receives proximity location information from at least one location identification beacon. A user of the mobile device dials an emergency telephone number when an emergency occurs. Dialing the emergency telephone number enables the proximity location information to be transmitted to an emergency call center.” During an emergency, however, users, may find it distracting and cumbersome to have to dial an emergency telephone number.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,755,767 discloses a “method and system provide a current physical geographic location for a mobile device (e.g., building address, a building floor, a room on a building floor, campus, enterprise, city, state, region, country, continent, etc.), in an emergency situation such as an accident, fire, terrorist attack, military incident, etc. and forward the physical geographic location to a legacy 911 network or a Emergency Services IP networks (ESInet).” Such operation, however, does not help guide people safely out of a structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,720,431 discloses a “mobile wireless system (10) includes a transmitter such as a satellite (18) that broadcasts wireless signals such as boundaries for specific areas to a mobile receiving device (22). Mobile receiving device (22) may include an antenna (26) and a mobile receiving device (28). A locating receiver (50) is used to generate locating signals so that a determination may be made to the location of the mobile receiving device. When the location is outside an area of interest the area of interest may be extended to provide services to the mobile device. Emergency information is broadcast to a first area. An emergency announcement indicator is also broadcast into a first area and an area outside the first area. The location of the mobile receiving device is compared to the first area and the emergency information is displayed when the location is within the first area.” Thus, a user must be located in proximity of where the emergency announcement indicator is broadcast in order to receive the emergency announcement.